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Overview

The 5th Avenue Holding Company erected this modestly-scaled, two-floor, mixed-use building in 1928, when this part of Downtown Seattle was relatively sparsely developed.

Building History

This two-story, commercial building was economically viable when it was built in 1928. Development of higher-rise buildings had not extended this far north, and a number of lower-rise commercial and residential blocks were built in this section of Downtown Seattle, as it moved toward Belltown.

The Colony Club Building, notable for its colorful, terra-cotta facade, housed retail businesses, leaving the second floor for other tenants. According to the CIty of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods Seattle Historic Sites database, Swedish-born architect Johan A. Creutzer, (1873-1929), designed the Colony Club Building: "This building was constructed in 1928 for the 5th Avenue Holding Company, believed to be a commercial real estate development firm, at a cost of $40,000. It was designed by noted architect John A. Creutzer and intended for retail commercial and loft or office uses. The original tenant or tenants are not known. By 1937, two storefronts were in use by the National Cash Register Company and a third storefront housed a coffee shop. The upper floor level served as the Colony Club between 1934 and 1936 and later as the Musician’s Club of Seattle. By 1938, the owner of record was Pacific Mutual Life of California. In c.1949, the International Business Machine Company (IBM) expanded its adjacent operations (in the building to the north) and took over this building, and undertook major interior alterations to create additional IBM offices." (See City of Seattle, Department of Neighborhoods.gov, "Seattle Historical Sites Summary for 1923 5th AVE / Parcel ID 0659000435," accessed 10/19/2020.)

The business, Superior Repographics, occupied portions of the building before the 2000s.

In 2008, a business, X-Ray Specs, a store selling vinyl LPs, CDs, videos, comics and electronics, occupied the middle storefront at 1925 5th Avenue. It had gone out of business by 2011. As of 2019, the Colony Club Building was boarded up and vacant. Its terra-cotta upper story, with three sets of tri-partite windows, was also protected with plywood to guard against squatters.

Since 2004, the ownership of the Colony Club Building has changed hands several times. V Associates deeded the property to the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority on 05/25/2004. The Monorail Authority deeded it to Heron Development, LLC, on 05/15/2006. A year later, on 07/31/2007, 5th Avenue Brooklyn, LLC, Padoga Partners, LLC, and Heron Development, LLC, deeded the title to ZRMBH, LLC. On 11/02/2009, Northwest Trustee Services, Incorporated, had the property, valued at $13,700,000 foreclosed upon by G4 Capital Seattle Holdings, LLC. G4 Capital Seattle Holdings, LLC, sold it to 1921-27 Fifth Avenue Holdings, LLC, for $16 million on 06/01/2015. The King County Department of Assessments set the taxable value of land and building at $9,397,000.

Building Notes

The Colony Club Building occupied a 6,480-square-foot (0.13-acre) lot. It contained 18,280 square feet of interior space. It had a small, 120-square-foot basement, with three retail storefronts with 18-foot-high ceilings on the first floor and office space on the second with ceilings 13-feet high. The building had a load-bearing masonry structure, according to the King County, Department of Assessments.

The first floor was faced in dark, green, white and black-veined marble panels, while the upper floor has a somewhat discordant skin of buff and pastel-tinted, ornamental terra-cotta tiles.